Flexible joint



March 8,1927. 1,620,094

I H. GILLICK FLEXIBLE JOINT Original Filed July 26. 1920 All PatentedMar. 8, 1927.

UNFFEl) STATES PAT E FFI LAWRENCE I-I. GILLICK, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA,ASSIGNOR 'IO VAZEOR CAR HEATING COMPANY, INCL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPQRA I ION O'F NEW YORK.

/ FLEXIBLE JOINT.

Original. application filed July 26, 1920, Serial N'o. 398,882. Dividedand thisapplication filed July 2,

My invention relates to flexible couplings or pipe joints of the type.employing ball and socket members, the joint being intended especiallyfor. conduits subject to rather high internalfiuid pressure. The primaryobjects of the invention are: to provide a joint which will be flexibleeven when the fluid pressuretherein is very high, and which will alsobe. fluid tight and so-remain. after continued periods of service; toprovide a joint whi clii can be re-packed; when necessary, withoutdisconnecting the flexible joint structure entirely from the conduit orpipe line with. which it is associated; to -provide a joint,- themembers of which will have a wider range of angular movement thanpossessed by the usual so-called universal joints; to provide a simplearrangement whereby the members of the joint will have capacity forswivel movement, as between each other, as well as angular movement; toconstruct and dispose the parts of the oint so that the weight of theparts is not. imposedon' the packing. whereby easy flexibility isinsured and the packing has capacity for self-ad ustment under fluid orspring. pressure, or both, against the ballmembers of the joint; and inother'respects to be hereinafter noted, to provide anv improved flexiblejoint for use on railway trains, forexample, in place of the usualrubber hoses connecting the train pipe sections or. in. other situationswhere lightness, compact structure,- strength and flexibility over wideranges are requisite.

The invention is illustrated in certain preferred embodiments, in. theaccompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through my improved jointstructure.

Fig. 2' is a transverse section taken on line. 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing a train lineconnection comprising. my improved flexible joint structure.

Referring to the several figures of. the drawings,-9 indicates a socketmember of internally cylindrical form and provided with-a neck portion10 at one end. Within the socket member 9, I have provided a ball orglobular member 11, which in turn is provided with a neck portion: 12 atits outer end. In F ig. 3 I have shown a portion. of an. all-metalflexible pipe connection Serial No. 41,054.

between the steam train pipes oftwo rail; way cars and embodying myimproved con.- struction. In this construction,.two-of the flexiblejoint structures are cmployed,.con.- nected together bymeans. of. a pipe13, this structure being interposed between a train pipe 14 and ahosecoupler 1'5.-

The-ball member. 11,. is held adjnstably in position within thesocket9by. means. of. inwardly extending pins. 16 carried; by the socket memberand extending at diametrically opposite sides into a groove 17extending. completely about the. ball member 11., the arrangement.beingsuch.thatthe-ball is able to have either a swinging. motion aboutthe. pins 16 or a swiveling, motion about the longitudinal axis of thesocket, the ball being adapted to. turn completely about. with respectto the-- socket. by reason of the provision of the groove 17' extendingcompletely. about the ball; As is best. shown in Fig. 1, eachof the pinsl6iis. provided with a. circumferentially extending. groove 18 in whichis mounted at oneside a1 cotter pin. 19 which normally prevents.withdrawal or loosening of the pins 16.

Between the innerend' of the socket member 9 and the inner end'of theball menr ber 11,1 have provided a packing. member or gasket 20 slidablymounted within] the socket member and having. a curved end surfacebearing against the adjacent curved face of the ball. member. Thisgasketis to be formed of rubber, rubber composition or other material of atype that is soft and resilient as compared with the metal parts of thedevice, or of a type that will soften under the influence of heat underconditions such as exist in a train pipe joint in. use.

While fluid pressure, especially when the joint isused on a steam or airline, will ordinarily be suflicient to keepithevgasket in sealingcontact with the ball member and the socket member, with. the gasketextending. a substantial distance inwardiy from the ball to permit suchsealing against the socket hy radial expansion, I prefer to arrange acoiled spring 21 between the gasket and the adjacent portion of thesocket member,

the end of the gasket being preferably provided with an annular disc '22for the spring to bear against. This spring. serves to keep the gasketin. proper condition when the joint is not subject to fluid pressuraaswell.

as assisting in maintaining the desired pressure between the parts whenthe device is in use. The disc or ring 22 is conical in form, with aflange for the end of the spring 1, and it'bears against acorrespondingly beveled face on the end of the gasket so that thepressure of the spring not only forces the gasket in the direction ofits length against the ball member 11 but also expands the inner endagainst the socket member 9, thus insuring close contact between thegasket and both the ball member and the socketmember.

lVit-h a joint so constructed, the angular movement of the ball memberwith respect to the socket member maybe considerable, because the socketmember does not directly engage the ball member (the engagement betweenthem being made by the pin and groove connection), so that the portionsof the Socket member limiting the angular movements of the ball memberneed not project beyond or even to the line of maximum transversediameter of the ball member.

The pivotal connections between the socket member and the ball memberstakes the stress as between said members which results from the internalfluid pressure and also relieves the gasket of the weight of the partsof the joint. This gives the joint easy flexibility even when theinternalpressure is high, since the articulated parts, the ball andsocket members, do not bear on each other at all in the sense that theordinary ball and socket members bear upon each other, the engagementbetween the socket and the balls being limited to the pivotalconnections by which the friction is minimized. In this construction,the packing is self-feeding and self-adjusting against the surfaces ofthe ball members, so thatwear on the gaskets does not bring about aleaky condition of the joint.

This'application is being filed as a division of my co-pendingapplication, Serial No. 398,882, filed July 26, 1920.

I claim:

1. A flexible joint comprising a socket member, a ball member extendinginto said socket but out of contact therewith, studs fixed to one of themembers and projecting radially of the ball, the other member beingprovided with spaced opposing surfaces between which the studs areconfined to prevent bodily movement of the ball into or out of thesocket, but to permit swinging and rotational movements of the ballmember with respect to the socket, a gasket slidably mounted in saidsocket and having a concaved bearing portion shaped to fit snugly theinner end of the ball member, and a spring interposed between the gasketand a'portion of the socket for maintaining the gasket in operativecontact with the ball member.

2. A flexible joint comprising an internally cylindrical socket memberhaving a portion at one end of reduced interior diameter, a globularball member extending into said socket but out of contact therewith,studs fixed to one of the members and projecting radially of the ball,the other member being provided with spaced opposing surfaces betweenwhich the studs are confined to prevent bodily movement of the ball intoor out 01 the socket, but to permit swinging and rotational movements ofthe ball member with respect to the socket, an elongated armular gasketot material adapted to be soft and resilient when under the influence ofsteam slidably mounted in the socket and having a globularly concavedbearing portion adjacent to said ball member, and a spring interposedbetween the gasket and the reduced portion of the socket adaptedyieldingly to maintain the gasket in operative snug engagement with theball member. 7

3. A flexible joint con'iprising a socket member having a neck portionof reduced. diameter, a ball member extending into said socket but outof contact therewith, studs fixed to one of the members and projectingradially of the ball, the other member being provided with spacedopposing surfaces between which the studs are confined to prevent bodilymovement of the ball into or out of the socket, butto permit swingingand rotational movements of the ball member with respect to the socket,a gasket slidably mounted in said socket and having a concaved bearingportion shaped to fit snugly the inner end of the ball member, and aspring bearing against the reduced neck portion of the socket applyingpressure to said gasket for pressing it longitudinally into contact withthe ball member and radially into contact with the socket member.

4. A flexible joint comprising a socket member, a ball member extendinginto said socket but out of contact therewith, studs fixed to one of themembers and projecting fixed to one of the members and projecting Vradially of the ball, the other member being provided with spacedopposing surfaces between which the studs are confined to prevent bodilymovement of the ball into or out of the socket, but to permit a limitedswinging motion and unlimited rotary motion of the ball member withrespect to the socket member, a gasket slidably mountedin said socketand having a concaved bearing portion shaped to fit snugly the inner endof the ball member, and a spring mounted in said socket member andpressing said gasket yieldingly into contact with the ball member.

6. A flexible joint comprising a socket member, a ball member extendinginto said socket member but out of contact therewith, pivotalconnections between said two members comprising a circumferential grooveabout one of said members and pins carried by the other member extendingradially into said groove so as to permit substantially a completerotation of one member with respect to the other, and packing meansadapted to form a tight joint between the two members.

7. A flexible joint comprising a socket member, a ball member extendinginto said socket member but out of contact therewith, said ball memberhaving a circumferential groove thereabout, pins carried by the socketmember extending radially into said groove serving to connect said twomembers so as to permit a swinging motion and a rotary motion of theball member with respect to the socket member while at the same timetaking up the pressure of one member longitudinally of the other, andpacking means adaptedto form a tight joint betweensaid two members.

8. A flexible joint comprising a socket member, a ball member extendinginto said socket member but out of contact therewith,

pivotal connections between said two members comprising acircumferential groove about one of said members and pins carried by theother member extending radially into said groove so as to permitsubstantially a complete rotation of one member with respect to theother, a gasket slidably mounted in said socket and having a concavedbearing portion shaped to fit snugly the inner end of the ball member,and a spring mounted in said socket member and pressing said gasketyieldingly into contact with the ball. member.

9. A flexible joint comprising an internally cylindrical socket memberhaving a portion at one end of reduced interior diameter, a globularball member extending intosaid socket but out of contact therewith, saidball member having a circumferential groove thereabout, pins carried bythe socket member extending radially into said groove serving to connectsaid two members so as to permit a swinging motion and a rotary motionof the ball member with respect to the socket member while at the sametime taking up the pressure of one member longitudinally of the other,an elongated annular gasket of material adapted to be soft and resilientwhen under the influence of steam slidably mounted in the socket andhaving a globular- 1y concaved bearing portion adjacent to said ballmember, and a spring interposed be tween the gasket and the reducedportion of the socket adapted yieldingly to maintain the gasket inoperative snug engagement with the ball member.

LAWVRENGE H. GILLIOK.

